Monday, August 25, 2014

A note to my friends in the North Bay. I was
awoken in what felt like the middle of the night by the bed shaking slightly. I
thought it was a minor localized tremor. Then I woke to reports of a 6.0
earthquake in Napa. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you and to
everyone affected by the quake.

Thanks to Rae Monet for this fabulous cover. I
love, love, love it! And for your reading pleasure, Pleasing Mr. Sutton is live! Book 5
in the West Coast series features Rance Sutton and Monica Dawson. You met them
both in The
Other Man, West
Coast, Book 4. Ward and Spence bandy about the idea that the statuesque Miss
Dawson is actually Mr. Sutton’s sex slave. Well, here’s the real story!

He has only one rule. She will do
everything he says exactly when he tells her to do it.

Chairman of the board Rance Sutton
is looking for a new playmate, an untried submissive he can train to do things
his wicked way.

Miss Dawson, the chairman's
personal secretary, wants to get a lot more personal. What better way than
becoming his new submissive? After all, she already does everything his way. So
really, what's a little spanking, flogging, handcuffing, and blindfolding if
the payoff is Mr. Sutton in her bed? And that's something she's dreamed about
for the entire fiveyears she's worked
for him.

The problem? This will be no love
affair. He will be her master. And she will be his slave. Miss Dawson's desires
aren't part of the bargain; everything will be about pleasing Mr. Sutton...

“I have the perfect candidate for the new position.” Monica
placed the resume on his big desk and slid it across to him. She’d given
herself an hour to prepare before presenting it. That hour had also given Mr.
Sutton a chance to enjoy his first cup of coffee, a special blend she brewed
him. He’d be mellower now.

“That was fast work.” He remained seated while she stood
before him. It seemed submissive, like the teenage girl who’s forced to stand
before the headmaster.

“The choice ended up being quite easy.” She laced her
fingers behind her back. Again there was a submissive feel to the gesture.
She’d dressed for him. Her blouse was teal, sheer with a lacy camisole beneath,
which she’d paired with a cream skirt that hugged her behind, but dropped
tastefully to below the knees. She felt sexy but tailored, classy but inviting.

“Commendable work,” he said, picking up the resume.

Her tension began to rise as he read. She’d addressed every
bullet point on his list. She was intrigued by the lifestyle, she’d never
dabbled, she wanted him to teach her, she was willing to accept pain to receive
pleasure, she needed his punishment, and so on. His eyes flicked back and forth
across the page, but not another muscle twitched. Until finally he laid the
single sheet of paper back on the expensively tooled leather top of his desk.

“You already have a job, Miss Dawson.”

She willed her cheeks not to flame. “Yes. But as I assume
this new position”—she flexed the
word, adding a sexual spin—“will be extracurricular, I believe I can carry out
both functions to your complete satisfaction.”

He watched her unblinkingly, and the temperature in the
office began to rise. A flush started inside, rushing out to her skin. He had
to notice the scarlet blaze.

“I have no doubt about your abilities, but it’s never good
to mix business and pleasure. We have a professional relationship. Making you
my submissive would violate that.”

A kernel of ice expanded in her chest. He was turning her
down.

“This is not the kind of thing you can turn on and off, Miss
Dawson. I think it’s best—”

She couldn’t let him reject her. “A lot of people might
consider that asking me to buy sex toys for you is violating our business
relationship.”

“You are my personal secretary. I never asked you to
demonstrate the devices for me.”

“In a corporate environment, the CEO doesn’t ask his
secretary to search for submissive playmates.” She’d been about to cite Holt
Montgomery, CEO of West Coast Manufacturing, as an example, but he was marrying
his secretary next month, so that comparison might fall short.

“I mentioned when I hired you that some of the tasks I gave
you would be of a more personal nature.” His face was implacable. Unreadable.
Mr. Sutton could be a hard man when he chose. Last night’s bravado was starting
to fade.

But if she backed down now, there would never be another
chance. Just the fact that she’d asked had changed their working relationship.
How would she get over the embarrassment, let alone the rejection? She’d made
the choice, now she had to convince him.

“There are advantages you might not have thought of,” she
told him. “Except when you have meetings or when we’re traveling”—she
accompanied him and took care of the details—“we’re alone in this suite all
day.” She flourished a hand to encompass his office, her smaller accommodations
outside, and the conference room. “You must have thought about having a
submissive you can command during the day.” She lowered her voice. “Make her do
anything. Right here.” She lovingly stroked the desk’s leather top. “Or over
there.” She pointed to the sofa.

She imagined herself splayed out on that genteel couch. Or
facedown on his desk while he did all those mysterious dominant things to her.
“Anything,” she said softly. “Anywhere.”

His nostrils flared slightly, the first indication of an
emotion. “Miss Dawson.”

She wouldn’t let him stop her. “Every time you send me out
to buy one of those devices”—she drew
out the word for effect—“I’m dying to know exactly what you do with them.” She
moistened her lips. “How it would feel.”

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple gliding slowly along his
throat. “Miss Dawson.” It was all he seemed capable of saying.

How far could she go? She’d waited a long time for this
opportunity. She’d go to great lengths to make it happen.

So she told him the truth, in a soft sexual purr meant for
the bedroom. “And every time it makes me wet.”

A bonus for lovers of
the Open Invitation series, we just put up the full series in a boxed set! I’m
really excited about having Invitation Seduction, Invitation
to Pleasure, and Invitation to
Passion bundled together again as they were in the original anthology. KindleKindleUKNookiBooksiBooks AUiBooks UK.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Thanks to Pamela Fryer for tagging me in the
Character Blog Hop! A little explanation, the character blog hop consists of
answering a few questions to let our readers know about the new characters we’ve
got coming for you in the near future.

Here’s a little bit about Pam:USA Today
bestselling author Pamela Fryer writes edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense that
will leave you breathless. She lives in Northern California, but has never worn
Birkenstock sandals. You can keep informed about new releases by signing up for
her newsletter at www.pamelafryer.com

Okay, now for my character. In a
couple of weeks, I’ll be putting out Pleasing Mr. Sutton, Book 5 in the West
Coast series. I call the book BDSM lite. There’s a little spanking, tying up,
and other naughty things, including a trip to a BDSM club (which I researched
with a visit to a real club in San Francisco!). So I’ll let Monica tell you a
bit more about herself.

1) What is the name of your character? Is
he/she fictional or a historic person?

I’m Monica Dawson, and I’m personal secretary to
Mr. Sutton, chairman of the board. I’ve been attracted to him since I first
starting working for him five years ago. I love authoritative, handsome older
men, and Mr. Sutton is all that and more.

2) When and where is the story set?

Our offices are in San Francisco right in the
heart of the financial district. And I live in SF, too, in a cute Victorian
walk-up with my roommate Sean. He’s gay, by the way, and we’ve been BFFs since
high school. But Mr. Sutton doesn’t know anything about Sean or even that I
have a roommate. Somehow I’m not sure he’ll understand about my living with a
man, even if he is gay.

3) What should we know about him/her?

I should probably admit that I’ll do just about
anything to get Mr. Sutton to notice me. I’ll even become his submissive.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up
his/her life?

Okay, so here’s what’s got me really going. Mr.
Sutton has just asked me to find him a new submissive. Remember, I am his
PERSONAL secretary. And he often asks me to do things of a very personal
nature, like buy sex toys for the women he dates. His submissives. But this is
beyond the pale. I’ll be damned if I’ll find a woman for him. Especially since
I know I’m perfect for the job. Of course, Sean tells me I’m a pathetic idiot,
but I don’t care. I will not pass up this opportunity.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?

I’m not sure if I’m after love. I just want this
fantasy I’ve had about Mr. Sutton to be real for a little while. I want to
experience the things he can teach me. And yes, I’m titillated by the whole
BDSM scene. Can pain be pleasure? All I want right now is to please Mr. Sutton.
I want him to dress me for his pleasure, spank me, punish me, tie me up. I want
to be his.

6) Is there a working title for this novel, and
can we read more about it?

Here’s a blurb for Pleasing Mr. Sutton:

He has only one rule. She will do
everything he says exactly when he tells her to do it.

Chairman of the board Rance Sutton
is looking for a new playmate, an untried submissive he can train to do things
his wicked way.

Miss Dawson, the chairman's
personal secretary, wants to get a lot more personal. What better way than
becoming his new submissive? After all, she already does everything his way. So
really, what's a little spanking, flogging, handcuffing, and blindfolding if
the payoff is Mr. Sutton in her bed? And that's something she's dreamed about
for the entire fiveyears she's worked
for him.

The problem? This will be no love
affair. He will be her master. And she will be his slave. Miss Dawson's desires
aren't part of the bargain; everything will be about pleasing Mr. Sutton...

Up next on the Character Blog Hop (on Aug 25) is my good
friend Kate Curran. I love her books, heart-warming stories about family. A
little about Kate:

My journey as a writer began when I turned 30, my youngest
started kindergarten, and I went back to college. I took a class on fiction
writing and the author was born—except it wasn’t a direct route to publishing
my novels. I took a 20-year detour as a photojournalist specializing in
agriculture. Twenty years later I published my first book, but it wasn’t the
romance novel I’d anticipated—it was a children’s book. Three more children’s
books have followed and now, finally, my romance novels.

Also joining the blog hop on Aug 25th is Jean Oram, a wonderful new friend I’ve made on
Facebook.

Jean
Oram grew up in a small town in Alberta, Canada and her experiences have
inspired her Blueberry Springs series. But while Jean grew up in an old
schoolhouse tending to the family's honeybee operation, her characters haven't!
Well, not yet, anyway. Her new series, the Summer Sisters, was inspired by her
summers spent in the Canadian Muskokas where she would visit her grandmother in
her century-old cottage. But while Jean's characters fall in love with movie
stars and millionaires, Jean found her husband in the Canadian far north. And
he's not a millionaire. Yet.

She
lives in Canada with her husband, two kids, very large dog who sheds like she's
trying to clone herself, her cute cat that's been nicknamed Nermil, as well as
tons of nature. You can read, dream, laugh, and love along with Jean's novels
at www.jeanoram.com/books. You
can also find her not quite over-sharing the crazy life of being an author in
her new fan girl group at www.facebook.com/groups/JeanOramFans.
Come join the fun and vote for the sexiest heroes on earth.

Jami Davenport will also be joining us. She's a fabulous new author I met while writing my Kindle Worlds story.

An
advocate of happy endings, Jami Davenport writes sexy sports romances,
including her bestselling Seattle Lumberjacks football series and her new adult
spinoff titled The Rookies. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with
her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball
fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated
Hanoverian mare. She works in computer support in her day job and juggles too
many balls, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Upcoming Releases

Followers

Who I am!

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Skully is a lover of contemporary romance, bringing you poignant tales peopled with hilarious characters that will make you laugh and make you cry. Writing as Jasmine Haynes, she’s authored over 35 classy, sensual romance tales about real issues like growing older, facing divorce, starting over. Her books have passion and heart and humor and happy endings, even if they aren't always traditional. She also writes gritty, paranormal mysteries in the Max Starr series. Having penned stories since the moment she learned to write, she now lives in the Redwoods of NorthernCalifornia with her husband and their adorable nuisance of a cat who totally runs the household.